The Labor enquirer., 1887-05-28

tied Philadelphia, and who we're at the
time fighting our order here, others Of
the general executive board and this men,
Der Of it admitted that Amsterdam and
district 65 was represented in the agree
ment and bound by IT, and also admitted
that the position taken here was in viola
tion Of that agreement.
That in pursuance of this admission to
and agreement with our manufacturers,
Mr. Barry was sent here to force this de-
cision upon our people, and attempted to
do it, That though our people showed
the injustice Of it, he persisted because of
the promises and admissions so foolish
ly" made to the manufs cturers.
We charge third, that members of the
board have assisted in circulating the
charge, coined by the knit goods associa-
tion, that the spinners of Amsterdam
struck against Knight of Labor, and
that our district knights and officers we're
backing them in such wrong action;
whereas the facts show that boss spin
ner who was at the time Knight of La
Dor, had agreed together with the firm to
violate the Knight of Labor bylaws, of
the spinners assembly, and that rather
than be parties to it the nine spinners
quit the mill after first using every en-
deavor to persuade the boss spinner and
the boy not to take the action contem-
plated.
1t may be well to explain right here
that the bylaws which the spinners we're
trying to protect, and the manufacturers
have been fighting to break. and claimed
to have destroyed by the Cohoes agree
ment, is an apprentice bylaw similar to
that of the printers, the lasters, the
moulders, and probably the silversmiths;
law to prevent instructing spinners
faster than jacks are set up, or while
competent spinners, members of the or
der, are in the place waiting for employ
ment and paying dues for protection to
their craft.
It should be understood throughout the
order, and ought to be known by the gen.
eral officers, that this lockout was inaugu-
rated to destroy that apprentice bylaw
and enable the manufacturers TO instruct
a dozen spinners for every jack, or as
many AS they pleased, and thus kill the
spinners organization.
We charge fourth, that because our To-
cal knights and our district officers refused
to submit to this manifest injustice. this
case has been so negligently handled by
the general executive board "a to give an
easy victory to the manufacturers, while
pretence was made of fighting them.
We charge incapacity or tredchery in
the Fnatter of conducting the supposed
dghE and we offer in evidence the fact
that with the experience with the hat
label and cigar label before them, and any
test of the efficacy of label in any fight
with manufacturers, no effort was made
to issue label or create demand for it,
though our locked out people had repeat
edly requested it, and the board has re-
peatedly promised to attend to it. Not
even boycott was issued until four
| L. aft.r Ia. Il, inc
method was used to push that. The re-
peated solicitations of our knights, made
personally by committees, by mail and
otherwise for the label, we're ansv cred by
pui-ogdnsWers that were untrue and cal
culated to lead our people to believe that
action had been taken which had not.
Finally, after serai months waiting,
watching and hoping, "A label was sent
here instead of to assemblies throughout
the order where our goods are sold and
upon investigation we find that this label
was in existence before our lockout, and
was only sent here 10 quiet The demands Of
our people
In fac nothing whatever has been done
except to issue boycott notice which
gave consumers no idea how TO distin-
guish fair goods from foul, and there
seemed to be a general understanding in
the board that no active fighting was to
be done in this case. but that funds only
were so be furnished our people until such
time as they became weared out and had
gone back to work. The funds were fire.
quently delayed several days At critical
incs, apparently to induce break in the
ranks. Visiting members expressed sur
prise that SO many still held out.
Nothing but the incompatible grit of
our locked-out men and women prevented
this miserable treacherous policy from
breaking them up sooner.
We earnestly appeal to the order to call
for an investigation of these charges.
This vacillation or treachery, on the
part of its general officers, has cost the
order nearly 100000. whereas if the fight
had been handled earnestly and vigorously
by issuing label at once, calling upon
our people everywhere to wear labelled
underwear, and appointing committees to
request all dry goods men to keep them